Trailer Talk: ‘Cop Out’

— by ROBERT DeFEIS —

Originally titled “A Couple of Dicks,” the now more appropriately titled “Cop Out” is a buddy cop comedy film written by brothers Mark Cullen and Robb Cullen and directed by Kevin Smith. The films the Cullen brothers write are usually very dialogue-heavy and this one is no different. It’s about these two cops played by Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan. Throughout the trailer, there’s almost a sense that maybe, just maybe, they should be married and it’s how they play off each other that makes this film so much fun.

These two veteran cops are tracking down a stolen vintage baseball card. On the chase, they rescue Gabriela (Ana de la Reguera) and deal with gangsters and their money laundering. They also arrest one of my favorite actors (although recently he hasn’t been in anything good) Seann William Scott. When he comes to the party, he steals the scene, making the movie that much funnier.

For me, when you say Kevin Smith, I think of Randal and Dante. “Clerks 2” is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen and with those movies (and mostly all of the movies he has done) being set in New Jersey, which is where I live, it makes it that much better for me. It’s incredible because Kevin Smith is from Red Bank, N.J., so that’s really not far from me at all. A friend of mine and I decided to go down and take a look at some of the places he has filmed. It was really nice being able to do something like that (and that’s my little story).

This film is the first Kevin Smith has directed but not written and I’m definitely okay with that, but I still get a sense that we’re not looking at a movie that will have you rolling on the floor laughing. With his last film being “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” — which was an absolute laugh-a-minute comedy — hopefully “Cop Out” will make the same hilarious impression.

The trailer is funny and you can tell it will do well. The only thing I felt was Tracy Morgan was always the one talking while Bruce Willis just sat there and played off of him, maybe uttering a line here and there. Not that I should be complaining about that because when was the last time you saw Willis in a movie and laughed?